School Lights Left On, Tough Questions About Waste

School lights left on, Tough Questions about waste

Lakeside High School, July 2012.
Photo credit:  CBS Atlanta

 Posted: Jul 17, 2012 2:35 PM EDT Updated: Jul 17, 2012 11:00 PM EDT
By Wendy Saltzman

 Featuring GTCO-ATL founders Cheryl and Paul Miller

 (click headline for details)

DECATUR, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -

The DeKalb County school board is struggling to slash $20 million from their budget. They have considered cutting teachers' jobs and pay, and are at a standstill about where to make cuts.

Sagamore Hills, July 2012. 
Photo credit:  GTCO-ATL

Brockett Elementary School, July 2012.
Photo credit:  GTCO-ATL

GTCO-ATL founder
Photo credit:  CBS Atlanta

Wendy Saltzman, Chief Investigator
Photo credit:  CBS Atlanta

Now CBS Atlanta News has uncovered a major waste that could save the district millions. We are asking the Tough Questions about why lights are being left on at all hours of the day and night at schools that are supposed to be closed for the summer.

"You can count every book in the library because the lights are on so bright," said parent Cheryl Miller.

CBS Atlanta News found lights left on in hallways, cafeterias and classrooms night after night at schools around the district.

"If they are not being careful and watching how money is being spent on something so obvious, how else are they wasting money?" Miller asked.

Miller and her husband Paul contacted CBS Atlanta when they saw lights left on at Brockett Elementary.

"Seventy percent of our taxes go to the school board and they are squandering it," Paul Miler said.

"The only thing I can think is maybe someone is in there cleaning. But cleaning up from what? School is out," board member Paul Womack said.

Chief Investigative Reporter Wendy Saltzman took video of five schools with lights on to district staff and board members for a response.

"Our electricity expenses are terribly over budget, so this is an area where we do need to exert control," says board member Nancy Jester.

Jester first brought the problem about electricity waste to the school boards attention last year.

"We are $1 million over budget on our electricity," she said at an October 2011 board meeting.

Now, nine months later the district is $6 million over budget in electricity alone.

"There's waste, and I know there's waste," Jester said.

"It's all over the place, and it is not acceptable and we are going to make sure it gets fixed," school spokesperson Jeff Dickerson told Saltzman.

Dickerson said as a result of our investigation, the district is in the process of checking school timers and alerting school staff.

"These are not just security lights, these are people forgetting to turn the lights off," he said.

And at a time when every dollar counts, saving millions may be as simple as the flick of a switch.

"I want to know, why did that happen, who is responsible for making sure that doesn't happen, and what are you going to do about it?" Jester questioned.

The district had proposed cutting 250 teachers and 170 para-professionals' jobs to help balance the budget. But board members tasked the superintendent with slashing some of these fairly obvious abuses first.

CBS Atlanta News will keep checking these schools to make sure these school district lives up to their promise.  

Copyright 2012 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation).  All rights reserved

If you see any local school in DeKalb County with wasted electricity, please contact Wendy Saltzman or email us at sayno2celltowers@yahoo.com.